Blue Moon Stone in Heart

6 Lessons From The Olympics

The Winter Olympics are all over the news this week. As we watch our countries compete and cheer them on, it brings to mind the great accomplishments of these athletes. I enjoy watching some of the winter sports, although I must admit that some of them don’t hold my interest very well. I do think there are some lessons that we can learn from these athletes and apply it to our business in direct sales.

Master the Basics

If you listen to the stories of the Olympians, none of them started with the skill they have today. They had to start by mastering the basic skill set for their sport. That’s done with a lot of practice. In our business, we also have to master the basics of the business. It’s important to understand our company’s plan, what things we offer, and how to present our product. Knowledge of the company’s policies and procedures also will help you as you plan your business strategy. Take full advantage of any kind of quick start program that is offered. Those kind of programs are developed to give you success right from the start.

Train, Train, Train

Olympians spend hours training for their events. Sometimes I hear someone who goes into direct sales and just jumps in with both feet without having any kind of training at all. They continue along the way, never taking advantage of any training that may be offered to them. For the most part, these are not tho people who are the most successful in their business. If training is available to you, take it! It may be something offered by your company, your leaders, your team, or even training by an outside consultant. If it’s available, do it! Everything you can learn will help you in your business. I find that each time I attend something, I am able to find a new takeaway that gives me a different perspective to use in my business. By interacting not only with the trainer, but also with other consultants, I pick up tips that I can use along the way. Anything we do in life comes with a lifelong opportunity for learning. Even those who have been in direct sales for a long time understand the value of training so that they always have fresh ideas. When you have the opportunity for training, train!

Play Full Court

Watch the athletes. They have the basics, they constantly train, and then they get out and play full court. They don’t sit on the sidelines, waiting to get more training, or waiting to see if people will invite them to play. They simply show up and play. Our business is much like this. It can be easy to get distracted by what I call the “next shiny thing,” and never make it to the playing field. Don’t let this happen to you. Some of your learning will come by actually doing, have a party, talk to someone about joining your team. There’s a reason why Nike has the slogan “Just Do It”–it works.

Perseverance

Pay close attention to the athlete who has a bad run in an event. What do you see? Do they just move off to the sidelines and decide they’re done? Of course not. They know that they must keep on going, no matter what. In our business, it’s the same way. It can be easy to get discouraged by how many No’s you receive when talking to people about bookings or about joining the team. And yet, you must keep going. I heard a phrase sometime ago that said “Don’t stop before the miracle happens.” Don’t allow yourself to give up before you see real results. Learn to celebrate the No’s you receive and just keep moving forward!

Team Spirit

I do love watching the team sports and the interaction of the team. When one member of the team succeeds, every team member is happy for them and celebrates with them. If someone has a bad event, the team picks them up, encourages them, and they all move forward, together. At the same time, you never hear a team member bad-mouthing another for something they didn’t like. And in that same spirit, you don’t hear Olympians speaking ill of their country. It is about the team spirit. In our direct sales business, the same should apply. When others succeed, celebrate with them. If they are having a bad day, offer a word of encouragement. See another consultant doing something you don’t think is right? Remember this phrase: There are 3 kinds of business–yours, theirs, and God’s. If it’s the latter two, then you shouldn’t be paying attention to it. Never should you badmouth that consultant. Frankly even in times when you think they might be violating a company policy, in the end, it’s still their business, and not yours. Last, but certainly not least, do not speak ill of your company. Have a problem with an order? Speak directly with the company or your leader. Blasting your discontent on Facebook doesn’t solve the problem for a customer and it sure isn’t encouraging to others. Show your team spirit, not just to your individual team, but to the team that you belong to within the entire company as well.

Go for the Gold

Play full out in your business. You won’t hear an Olympian saying they only came just to see the sites in the area, or they didn’t come wanting to win a medal. They come to the Olympics with a mindset of winning, of being up on that platform and bringing home a medal. And they do it with the mindset of a winner. Do the same with your business. We attract what we put out there in life, so have the mind of a winner. Expect success. Work for it. Go for the gold in your business as well.

Imagine if you approached your business like the athlete approaches the Olympics. What would change? What will you do today to make that happen?

Want to be a part of a team that works like this? We’d love to have you join us! Email me and ask me how!